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Original poster

What do I do with an orchid?

28 replies

DustyLee123 · 16/03/2024 07:18

I’ve been given an orchid, and don’t know what to do with it.
I’ve seen TikToks where they remove all the soil and keep them in water. I was told by a work colleague not to water it too much.
Now the bottom leaves are going yellow, and it’s got roots sticking out the pot that are going brown.
Help!

OP posts:
Original poster
DustyLee123 · 16/03/2024 11:51

citrinetrilogy · 16/03/2024 09:49

Phalaenopsis orchids need to be kept in clear pots because they don't grow roots like normal plants do, they have aerial roots which need light. In the wild they grow on tree branches. That's why the roots are green - they photosynthesise - and are grown in orchid bark. The bark is only there to hold the plant in the pot.

Dunk the whole thing in water every so often, and then put it on the draining board so all the water can drain out again.

Yes, it’s one of these.
I’ll take it out of the pottery pot and put it in an east facing room.
Thanks

OP posts:
OnHerSolidFoundations · 16/03/2024 17:09

They do hibernate over winter. Mines just flowered again.

citrinetrilogy · 16/03/2024 17:51

JobMatch3000 · 16/03/2024 10:26

When you say the roots need light, should I not have the opaque plastic bark filled pot they came in in a traditional decorative plant pot then? Mine are alive - I do the dunk in water and drain once a month - but they don't re-flower.

No they shouldn't be put in an outer pot unless it is translucent. I've got one of mine in a decorative outer pot which is made of white opaque glass, so it does let some light through.

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